BRATTLEBORO- Wednesday afternoon, the Windham County State’s Attorney’s office announced that an aggravated murder charge against John Grega has been dropped.

In 1995, Grega was convicted of the 1994 sexual assault and murder of his wife, Christine Grega, while the couple and their son were staying at a condominium in Dover. In July 2012, new DNA testing of evidence in the case indicated the presence of “unknown male” skin DNA in a swab that had been taken from Christine Grega’s body. Grega had already served 18 years of a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Based on the new evidence, Windham Superior Court Judge John Wesley vacated Grega’s conviction in August 2012, set the matter for a new trial, and ordered Grega released on conditions. Grega, now 50, has been living at his mother’s home in Ronkonkoma, NY.

On Wednesday, Windham County State’s Attorney Tracy Shriver said the murder charge would be dismissed without prejudice, according to published reports, meaning that new charges could be brought against Grega in the future. In a May hearing, Wesley set a deadline of August 23 for the completion of additional DNA testing on evidence in the case. Shriver had requested nine months to complete the DNA testing. In a statement Wednesday, Shriver vowed to continue the investigation to seek justice for Christine Grega and her family.